When emotions break free
by Skiefyer
Summary: When Raven loses control of rage in an epic battle with Slade the Titans are all afraid of her. Can the one Titan who isn't bring her back from the darkness? An AqualadRaven story.
1. Confrontation

A loud howl shattered the silence that Raven was meditating in. She angrily opened her eyes and floated down towards the ground before rushing to her door and yanking it open to reveal a terrified Beast Boy. He screeched again as the door flew open and he saw a fuming Raven.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry!" he yelped covering his face with his arms.

She glared angrily at him and stepped menacingly forward. He whimpered and tried to cower closer to the ground. She fought hard to repress a snicker at his antics and took another step forward. He looked up at her and she could see the fear and horror in his eyes, she gasped as a heap of emotions flooded her. Guilt, sorrow and fear at what she had become. How could her teammates be so scared of her? She heard a slight sound coming from Beast Boy, he was mumbling something. She stepped closer to hear what it was.

"Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" He was mumbling consecutively.

She sighed and opened her mouth to reassure him. But something else came out instead.

"You better be!" she said maliciously.

He shook his head non-stop and slowly backed away. She let him go, something in his eyes portrayed true fear, something she had not often associated with Beast Boy. Plus there was the fact that she didn't seem to be able to control her own mouth. She sighed again as she returned to her room and thought about when the whole 'teammates being afraid of her' thing had started.

FLASH BACK

_It was raining, hard. The silvery drops of water almost blinded Raven as she struggled to pinpoint her enemy. She heard sounds of fighting, growls and a sharp crack as something came into contact with Robin's fist. They were fighting Slade again, but this time he had help; the HIVE members. Robin was preoccupied with Slade, Beast Boy was dealing with the tech-no whiz Gizmo, Cyborg and Starfire where dealing with Mammoth and Raven had been left with Jinx. Unfortunately, Raven had no idea where her quarry was. Jinx had simply vanished into the rain. She sighed and decided that she would see if Robin needed help with Slade. They were fairly easy to locate since they were both hurling insults at each other. She ran over to where they were fighting, just in time to see Slade get Robin with a massive punch to the skull that sent him flying backwards to crash into a wall. Raven watched in horror as his body slid down the wall, blooding pooling around his head. She quickly turned around and dodged a kick to her head, courtesy of Slade. As they circled each other Slade began to taunt her. _

"_Afraid for Bird-Boy?" _

_She emitted a low growl and did not answer him._

_He chuckled coldly "Yes, I thought so"_

_She simply continued to circle him, waiting for an opening._

"_Ahh, young love" he said, trying to provoke her._

_She did not accept the bait, at least not outwardly. Outwardly he face remained devoid of emotion but inwardly her emotions screamed at her, and wanted to rip Slade to shreds. She spotted an opening and lunged only to find Slade's arm in the way. He blocked her and swept his foot around, hitting her in the back of the knees. He knees buckled and she fell to the ground. _

"_You never were good at hand-to-hand" he taunted "Why don't you use your powers?" Slade knew exactly why she couldn't use her powers; after all, he had caused it. Her emotions were straining against her barriers because of his taunts and the sight of Robin's body crashing into the wall. If she used her powers her emotions would brake free and she would cause havoc, probably destroying the entire city if she wasn't stopped. But that's what Slade wanted. For the past few weeks Slade had been slowly causing Raven's rage and anger to rise to the surface. Little barbs here and there, Interruptions, (In the form of bank robberies and other such trivialities) in her mediation. He was wearing Raven down so that Rage could take over and it was working. He chuckled too himself as Raven leapt up and glared at him. She was so close, so close to losing control. If she did he knew that it would kill him, but he didn't care. His goal was to destroy the city. He was truly a madman. _

"_Where are your precious friends?" he asked her "Abandoned you have they?"_

"_Fighting you lackeys" she spat_

"_Ooooh, feisty" chuckled Slade "Have I hit a nerve?"_

_She glared at him as he continued "Hmmm, it must be a sore topic for you. I mean, how many friends do you really have?" He laughed crazily "I'd say the answer to that is none" _

_Raven couldn't keep back the retort that rage had prepared "I have friends!" she yelled at him "Which is more then I can say for you!" _

_He chuckled mirthlessly "Yes, friends. Friends who use you. Friends who are only your friends so that you don't destroy them."_

"_Enough!" yelled Raven "This ends NOW!" her hands glowed pitch black with a rim of white. Slowly the blackness grew till it enveloped her entire body. Raven was gone leaving rage in her place. The black glowing figure levitated high in the air her black energy crackling as it danced around her. Slade looked up at her and the last thing he saw before he was ripped apart was a pair of fuming bright red eyes. _

END FLASHBACK

She had almost ripped the entire city and its occupants apart. She had seen the entire city gazing up at her with fear, hatred, anger and shock. The only thing that had stopped her had been Robin's voice yelling over the chaos. He had brought her back to her senses; it was his voice that had pushed Rage away and brought Raven back. The black energy had disappeared and Raven had fainted, falling to the ground. She hit the ground with a thud and lay there. The Titans were too horrified to get any closer to her. After about an hour she had moaned and begun to wake up. As her eyesight returned she had seen the Titans standing approximately ten meters away from her. As she sat up she had been flooded with memories of the fight. Raven remembered gasping in horror, looking at the Titans fearful faces and teleporting back to her room in the tower. Things had never been the same after that. She had more trouble controlling her emotions, particularly rage and anger. They escaped from time to time and she had shouted and yelled her teammates. As a result the room was silent when she entered, tofu/meat fights stopped when she walked past them, anywhere she went was deadly silent. When she made an effort to talk to someone they nodded politely and spoke only when she asked questions while trying to find an escape. She sighed again and flopped down on her bed. She lay there until she heard a light knocking at her door. She was curious as to whom it was; no-one knocked on her door anymore. She got up and walked towards the door; she opened it and came face-to-face with Aqualad. He smiled brightly at her as he said hello.

"Hi" said Raven carefully "Uh, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Saying hello" he said cheerfully

"Umm, okay" she said, slightly confused. Surely he knew that she was dangerous. "Well, uhh, bye" she said attempting to close the door. She didn't get far though as Aqualad decided to stick his foot through the door.

"Raven" he said softly "I'm not scared of you"

That simple statement stopped Raven in her tracks. She laughed sadly "How come?" she asked, confused "I nearly rip up the city and you tell me that you aren't afraid of me?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" he asked gently "You would never hurt any of us"

"I almost killed you all!" she yelled at him "You, the Titans, the entire city for Pete's sake!"

He shook his head "That wasn't you" he stated simply

"Yes it was" she said sadly "It was a part of me. A part that is constantly screaming to be let out." She sighed "And sometimes it succeeds" she whispered.

"No-one faults you" he said firmly "We all know that with…."

"Have you seen their faces?" she interrupted furiously "The way they look at me? Just this morning Beast Boy disturbed my meditation, he was cowering on the floor! Every room I enter is dead silent! No-one talks to me unless I talk to them!" she raved, on the verge of tears "I could shatter all the windows in the tower and no-one would blame me! You are the first person who has even looked at me before I talked to you!" tears were rolling down her face now "I can't stand it!" she yelled "They look at me as if I'm the plague, and they're right!"

"No" said Aqualad fiercely "They're wrong. You would never try to hurt us; you just need to regain control over your emotions. I can help you!"

"How?" she asked "How can you help me?"

"I'll come over every day and help relieve your stress. You can talk to me, get angry at me, and yell at me, whatever. If it helps I'll do it!" he said desperately

Her eyes softened "Why?" she asked "Why would you do this for me?"

"Because" he looked into her lavender eyes "You're my friend and I love you"

She looked at him with tears of gratitude shimmering in her eyes and hugged him. As they stood there, in her doorway she buried her head in his chest as he hugged her and stroked her hair softly. After awhile she lifted her head and looked up at him.

"Thank you" she said gratefully as she gently pulled out of the hug and stepped back to let the door slide shut.

"Any time" he said softly "Anytime at all"


	2. Rage Therapy

(A/N. Okay, here it is. The second chapter of When emotions break free. Originally a one-shot, now a chapter story. Oh, and if anyone's interested I would love someone who likes this particular pairing (Aqua/Rae) for a Beta. I don't have too much of a problem with grammar or spelling but I think I need someone who can tell me whether my chapters make sense or not. Of course, that is what reviewers are for…..)

The next day

Raven was meditating quietly when she heard a loud knock on her door. She sighed inwardly and got up to go and open the door. She wasn't expecting anyone to annoy her today, or any day for that matter. Even though Aqualad had said that he would come everyday, she never expected him to fulfill that promise. It wasn't because she thought that he was untrustworthy or anything, it was just that she couldn't see why anyone would possibly make the effort for her. It was an issue of low self-esteem, but with good reason. She hesitated, her hand hovering near the door. Her visitor must have gotten impatient because in the next second she heard him call her name.

"Raven?" asked Aqualad "Hello?"

Raven's face brightened for a few seconds, he had come! She quickly regained her blank face and opened the door.

"So you are here" remarked Aqualad

"It would appear so" replied Raven

He nodded "So, are you ready?"

She nodded hesitantly, unsure of whether she really wanted to go through with this.

Aqualad noticed and gave her a friendly squeeze "Don't worry" he said cheerfully "This'll all work out fine"

'_I hope so' _thought Raven apprehensively as she followed the Atlantean down the hall.

5 minutes later

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused

Aqualad turned around and winked at her "You'll see"

Raven sighed and dutifully followed him down another flight of staircases. A few minutes later they arrived at their destination. Aqualad stopped in front of the door and looked back at Raven, a mischievous look on his face. She walked up and stood beside him suspiciously glancing from his face to the dark room. Aqualad refrained from laughing and opened the door beckoning for her to step inside first.

"Ladies first…"

She nodded before cautiously stepping into the room. At first it was dark but when Aqualad stepped in and shut the door it was pitch black. Raven nervously gripped the sides of her cloak; she didn't especially like absolute darkness. It was something about the inability to visually sense what was happening. She had to rely mostly on her hearing, which was better then most considering her demon heritage. After several more minutes of complete silence and darkness Raven began to get annoyed.

"Are you going to turn the light on anytime soon?"

"If you want me to" stated Aqualad simply

"What is the point of all this?" snapped Raven

"Now" said Aqualad calmly "Why are you getting annoyed?"

"Because I'm standing here in a pitch black room with a silent companion who doesn't feel inclined to turn the light on or tell me why we're even here" she said angrily

He nodded (though she couldn't see it) "Now you're getting angry" he stated

She sighed exasperatedly

"One of your problems is that you have a short fuse and a very low tolerance." He continued despite her gasps of protest. "Most of this problem is caused by conflicting emotions but some of it is general intolerance for basic stupidity or lack of knowledge. You don't know _why _you're standing in this room and you aren't comfortable with that. So you get annoyed and angry at whoever happens to be around you at the time, even if it's only yourself. Now, your tolerance was slightly higher before Slade began messing with your emotions, after you finally lost control and destroyed Slade your emotions didn't go back to normal. The barrier that you had constructed to restrain them was shattered. I think that if you can consciously re-erect that barrier you should be able to regain control over your emotions, in fact, you should generally have more control then you used to have. This barrier will then prevent your emotions from overly influencing your actions but it won't stop your natural intolerance for ignorance and stupidity. In other words, you will have complete control over your emotions at all times but _you _as a whole will still have a low tolerance level. Luckily, with a small amount of therapy you can generally raise these particular tolerance levels."

"Right" Raven looked suspiciously in is general direction, or at least where his voice was coming from, "How exactly do you know all of this?"

"I, ummm, did a bit of reading" he said sheepishly

"Ahhh" she said "So, what now?"

"Well" he said "Now, we work on building up that barrier"

"Okay" said Raven "In the dark?"

"Nope" he smiled "I'll turn the light on"

She rolled her eyes in his general direction as he reached for the switch. When he flicked she gasped in surprise, the room was populated by pillows. Black, blue and purple pillows graced every corner of the room, stacked up against the walls. The walls themselves were lined with a soft blue material and floor was covered with lavender carpet. Other then the pillows, the room was unoccupied.

Aqualad chuckled at her obvious surprise and walked into the middle of the room motioning for Raven to follow him. She followed, seemingly in a trance. When she reached the middle of the room she stood directly in front of Aqualad.

"What is all this for?" she asked curiously

"It's so that you can safely release your emotions while we create that barrier. There is nothing in this room that you can throw and actually hurt me with so you can focus on creating the barrier without worrying about hurting me. The walls, floor and ceiling are lined with a material that repels most magic so your magic shouldn't be able to leave the room either. The pillows are here for you to chuck when you feel like it and for general comfort." He shrugged "Robin told me that blue, black and purple were your favorite colours."

Raven was overcome with a fierce emotion, not only had he offered to help her with her conflicting emotions but he had gone to great lengths to prepare a comfortable room for her. In her current emotional state she was barely able to keep back the tears of joy that glittered in her eyes. She could not believe that someone would go to such measures for her. Words simply could not express the gratitude she felt towards the man standing before her, nothing she said would be able to convey the emotions that were racing through her. She looked up at him with pure joy and happiness shining on her face, something that she hadn't expressed for years and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, smiling. He heard her whisper a question to herself and sighed. He knew that almost nothing that he could say would ever convince her that she was worth the effort. She would never believe that anyone would willingly put themselves out in order to make her happy. But he would. He loved to see her smile, to see her happy. He treasured all the moments when she laughed or showed any type of positive emotion. He would do almost anything to make her happy; she had so much sadness and grief in her life. He frowned as he thought about how the Titans had treated her lately. Sure, she had snapped at them but they made a point of ignoring her. Sighing, he put those thoughts to the back of his mind as she ended the hug and prepared to help her with her emotional barrier. He motioned for her to stay where she was and walked over to the left-hand corner of the room and fetched to pillows. He dragged them back to the centre of the room and positioned them so that they were facing each other. He then sat down on his cushion; legs crossed and motioned for her to do the same.

2 hours later

After many pillows had frantically soared round the perimeter of the room Raven had finally managed to root the foundations of an emotional barrier. It was hard work and Raven found that she was sweating slightly. She got up stiffly and groaned as her back clinked as she stretched.

"That should be enough for today" said Aqualad cheerfully

"Great" sighed Raven as she made her way to the rooms only exit. Aqualad smiled at her back as she walked out the door and into the elevator. When the elevator reached the chosen floor they both walked out and into the living room where Starfire and Robin were laughing as Cyborg and Beast Boy fought on the game station. The doors made a whooshing sound as they opened and closed behind them and the room fell dead silent as all eyes turned to Raven. Cyborg and Beast Boy dropped their controls and didn't move a muscle when the TV flashed with the message 'game over'. The Titans looked frozen in time; none of them were moving or making any noise. Raven looked sadly over at them and walked into the kitchen. Aqualad gave them a stern, disappointed look and followed her. The Titans released breaths they hadn't realized that they were holding after Raven had left the room. It was then that Beast Boy noticed the TV's message; it read 'GAME OVER, CYBORG WINS'.

"NO" he screeched before Cyborg's hand smashed into his mouth as he frantically tried to prevent Beast Boy's ear-piercing shriek from reaching Raven. It was a failed attempt however. Raven stuck her head around the kitchen door and glared at Beast Boy before retracting it and continuing about her business.

"Man, that was close" breathed Cyborg

The other Titans nodded, all to shocked to speak.

A few hours later

Aqualad was exiting the tower when Robin called him from the hall.

Aqualad gracefully turned around and quizzically glanced at the Titans leader.

"Yes?" he enquired

Robin walked towards him, speaking as he went. "I've noticed the dramatic change in Raven" he began "Even after one session. Yesterday she would have quite literally ripped BB's head off for that shriek."

"She's just not emotionally stable right now" said Aqualad firmly "She isn't a madwoman."

"I know" said Robin, rubbing the back of his neck, "Are you coming every day?"

"Yes" replied Aqualad "Until Raven has complete control over her emotions"

"Ahh" said Robin thoughtfully "Then how about you stay here until you're done?"

"That would be good" Aqualad mused thoughtfully "It would save traveling to and from Titans East"

"So I'll have a guest room set up then?"

"Thanks" Aqualad smiled warmly

"No problem"

"I'll just go back to Titans East and grab a few things" said Aqualad "and warn them that I'm staying here for awhile"

Robin nodded and began to walk off before remembering something else he wanted to say.

"Oh, and tell Bumblebee that if she wants a temporary replacement I'll send Cyborg"

"Okay" Aqualad nodded and set off for the Titans East tower.


	3. A new emotion

"Are you sure about this?" Bumblebee questioned Aqualad

"Yes" he said firmly "Raven needs this"

"Okay" she sighed "I'll call Robin and ask him to send in Cyborg"

"What? Who's calling who and why?" Speedy asked as he walked into the lounge room of the Titans East tower.

Bumblebee raised one neat black eyebrow "Late again Speedy? Is this becoming a habit of yours?"

Speedy shot her a disgruntled glance as the twins Mas'y' Menos shook their heads in mock discernment.

"Anyway" said Aqualad, he turned and looked at Speedy "I'm staying at the Titans tower for a few weeks"

"Wha..wha…what?" spluttered Speedy

"You heard me"

"Robin's going to replace him with Cyborg" Bumblebee informed him

Speedy gasped with indignation "So Aqualad gets to hang out in a tower with two hot chicks while I have to stay here with a metal-man, party pooper and two light-speed midgets!"

"That's about it" said Bumblebee, the 'party pooper'

He gasped again and dramatically swept a hand across his forehead as he tumbled off the couch.

"Drama Queen" muttered Bumblebee

"Anyway" Aqualad drew the word out. "I'll just be going now"

Bumblebee smiled, "Do your best" she said quietly

Aqualad nodded and set out for the Titans tower.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

1 week later…..

Raven was sitting in the kitchen sipping from a small china cup that contained her favorite liquid, herbal tea. She sighed contentedly and relaxed, leaning on the kitchen bench, her lavender hair rising and settling with her movements. She closed her eyes sedately and breathed in the scent of her tea. She stiffened slightly when she felt movement next to her as someone slid into the seat beside hers. She opened one lavender eye and smiled when she saw a familiar face.

"Hey" she greeted him, as she relaxed again.

"Morning" he answered cheerfully

She smiled again; he was always such a morning person.

"So what's the plan for today?" she asked

"We'll have a therapy session and a barrier construction session" he answered smoothly "You're making such progress that I thought we'd do one of each today"

"Okay" she frowned into her tea

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused

She cursed inwardly, he was too observant.

"Raven?" he asked

"It's nothing" she answered grumpily

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. They sat quietly for an hour or two before Aqualad decided to break the silence.

"Don't the other Titans have breakfast?" he asked

"They won't come in until I go out" Raven answered monotonously

"Oh"

She sighed tiredly and got up, taking her cup too the sink. Aqualad watched her as she washed her cup. She was making incredible progress; in a week or two she would have complete control over her emotions. But still the Titans refused to come near her. He sighed heavily; he would have to talk to them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Is she gone yet?" whispered Beast Boy

"Nope" Robin whispered back.

"Ssssh" whispered Cyborg

The three titans were stationed outside the kitchen, peering around the door at random intervals to check if Raven was still there. They were all hungry; they had been waiting there for the past hour. Beast Boy's stomach growled loudly and Cyborg turned around and gave him a death glare that rivaled Raven's. Beast Boy smiled sheepishly and placed a hand over his stomach. Robin heard a noise that was not Beast Boy's stomach and whirled around. He saw a dazed Starfire walking towards the kitchen. She walked right past them and into the 'danger zone'. They all watched in horror as she approached Aqualad and Raven, smiled, waved at Aqualad and walked out the other side of the room.

"Well that was weird" commented Raven

Aqualad nodded and remained silent.

Over by the kitchen door Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg breathed out it relief, they had thought Starfire was doomed! They stiffened as they heard Ravens voice calling out to them.

"I know you're there" she said sadly "You don't need to hide from me"

The Titans remained silent, hoping against all odds that she wouldn't come over and blast them into smithereens.

She shook her head slowly and only Aqualad saw the pained look that was visible on her face for split second. Without another word Raven walked out of the kitchen, coincidentally using the door in which the Titans were hiding behind. As she passed them she spared them one single glance that was full of sadness and sorrow and walked off. The Titans remained at the door for a few minutes before Aqualad spoke to them.

"You know she won't hurt you" his voice was strong and fierce "She isn't a madwoman"

They remained silent, refusing to answer.

He got up and walked towards them. "She just lost control over her emotions" he said sternly "But that's not a problem anymore." He continued "She now has almost completely built up an emotional barrier that will prevent her emotions from taking over."

The Titans refused to look at him choosing instead to look intently at the floor.

Aqualad shook his head in disappointment "She's your friend; she's never meant you any harm." He looked at Robin "She did her best for the team, even while she was faced with her own problems" He looked at Cyborg "She's always loved you as an older brother, she relied on you for support as she supported you" he turned to Beast Boy "She's put up with your jokes, the way you love to annoy her and the countless other things you do and she still hasn't banished you to another dimension." He looked at all three of them who were still gazing at the floor. "And you can't even look at me while I speak of her" Aqualad sighed as he delivered the final blow "I'm starting to think that you guys don't deserve her" with that he walked off and left the Titans alone, by the kitchen door.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Raven sat alone on the roof, tears glistening in her eyes. Everything, everyone that she loved had turned against her. Her friends, she remembered countless occasions of joyful nonsense. Picnics, trips to the beach, unbearably strong hugs, tofu v.s meat fights, pizza trips, movie nights. She sighed, all that seemed so far away. She was hated and despised now, and not just by the Titans! She knew that the city's people would prefer it if she left, they were all scared that she would destroy the city…and she almost had. She sighed again, feeling utterly miserable as her thoughts drifted over each of her friends. She remembered the good qualities and the bad of each of them. How Robin always made sure that everyone was alright after a battle. How Beast Boy always tried to lighten the mood with a horrible joke. How Cyborg would always comfort her when she need it. How Starfire would hug her to an inch of her life, whether she needed it or not. All the things that had grown over the past few years and now they were gone. At least, she amended; they did not include her anymore. Her face brightened a touch when her thoughts drifted to Aqualad. He seemed to really care about her. He went to such lengths to make things just right for her, to stick up for her. He spent his entire day with her, in therapy sessions. She wondered if he really cared for her, or if he was just doing this for a laugh or some other reason. She tried to think of motives that he could have in helping her but she could not bring herself to believe any of them, despite her negative personality. He was too kind, sweet, compassionate and caring. As she drifted through these thoughts she felt a new emotion arise. It was strong and powerful and had a desire to break free. But thanks to Aqualad's training she managed to suppress it. She watched with her mind's eye as the emotions settled down in a corner and smiled sweetly at her. She could hear it mumbling 'don't you worry; you'll let me out soon enough'.

"Who are you?" she asked the emotion

"Do you really want to know?" the emotion replied evasively

"Yes" said Raven firmly

"I'm someone who you've managed to keep out for a long time" riddled the emotion

Raven mouthed a word and the emotion nodded.

"No" she shook her head "You can't be here"

"Well I am" said the emotion sweetly "It's no use denying what's in front of your face, because sooner or later it will hit you in the nose"

"But there is no reason for you to be here" stated Raven "In fact there is even less reason for you to be here now then there was before"

"No" said the emotion shaking her head "You didn't feel this way before"

"How can you be here?" Raven asked the emotion "Everybody hates me"

"Not everybody" said the emotion bringing up a picture of Aqualad in Raven's mind.

"He doesn't" the emotion continued.

Raven could only stare at the picture and realize that what the emotion said was true. She had never felt this way before, ever.

"You're in love with him" said the emotion simply

Raven could only nod

"And he feels the same way about you" continued the emotion.

"How do I know?" asked Raven

"Look at all the things he's done for you" replied the emotion "He wouldn't have done it unless he truly loved you"

Raven looked at the emotion and felt the desire to refute her but she knew that everything the emotion said was true.

"But I don't know how to approach this" she said sadly

"Tell him how you feel" love urged her "He will respond the same way"

She nodded and came out of her trance to see Aqualad near her. He was standing a few meters away from her and was gazing intently at her face. She blushed and flipped her hood up; it had fallen off sometime during her chat with love. She stood up and gazed back at him and thought she saw a faint rose tinge on his cheeks but she couldn't be sure.

He looked a little nervous standing there. They stood in silence for a few moments before Raven decided to break the silence.

"There's ummm, something I wanted to tell you" she began

Aqualad nodded for her to go on.

"It's just that, over the past few days you've been the only person who talked to me, and I've realized something. You see, before this I never really took much notice of you, but now that I'm spending so much time with you I've, I've started to realize something." This next bit was really hard to say and Raven took a deep breath and opened her mouth before Aqualad closed the distance between them and placed a finger over her lips and silenced her. She looked quizzically from his face to his finger as if wondering whether she should rip it off for touching her.

He smiled at her and took his finger away but placed his hand on her neck, stroking the side of her face with his thumb.

"I feel the same way" he said softly

"You do?" she asked shakily

He nodded and she felt her face brighten into a smile. She noticed that he had closed the gap between them and their bodies were almost touching. She shivered when his other hand reached out and cupped her cheek. She was surprised that nothing exploded when he leaned down and kissed her gently. She had stiffened at the contact but relaxed slowly when he began to caress her face lovingly. His lips were warm and gentle; she closed her eyes and reveled in the fact that he, of all people loved her.


	4. Heartache

"Cyborg?" Robin knocked on the half-metal Titans door.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in for a sec?"

"Sure" the metal door slid open to reveal Cyborg working on a few last minute adjustments to a new device he'd recently constructed.

"What's that?" Robin asked, eyeing the object in Cyborg's hand.

"Nothing special" Cyborg answered nonchalantly "Just a nifty little portable CyD player!"

"Uhh Cyborg?" said Robin, trying not to laugh

"Yes?"

"You do know that you can buy them at the supermarket, right?"

"Uh huh" Cyborg nodded "You can buy regular CD players there"

"And yours isn't regular?"

"Nope"

"What's special about it?" asked Robin curiously

"Nothing much…." Cyborg began mischievously "It only has a 50,000 gigabyte memory, tracking signal, TV antennae; which picks up 400 channels, recording devise, inbuilt dictionary, oh and a fan and other various bits and bobs"

"Wow" was all Robin could manage

"I like to think so." said Cyborg coolly "Now, other then admiring my CyD player, what's up?"

"You know how Aqualad is staying here for a few weeks?" said Robin, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes" said Cyborg warily

"Well I uhh, kinda promised Bumblebee that I'd send you over as a temporary replacement" he said quickly

"Oh" said Cyborg quietly "Is that all?"

Robin nodded slowly, unsure of whether to speak or not.

"Good" said Cyborg as he carefully placed his CyD player down on the table and turned to face Robin.

Robin looked relieved for about five seconds before he noticed the malicious glint in Cyborg's human eye.

"Oh no" he backed away slowly as Cyborg advanced

Cyborg said nothing.

"Cyborg" said Robin worriedly "I thought you'd want to spend time with Bumblebee"

Cyborg remained deathly silent as he advanced upon Robin

Robin felt his body go cold as his back hit smooth seamless steel.

He looked up at Cyborg's impassive face and incorporated a pleading look into his eyes.

Cyborg simply smiled maliciously before raising his arm, grabbing Robin and squashing him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh haha" said Robin dryly

"Well I had ya fooled" said Cyborg, grinning with mirth

"Hmph" was Robin's reply

"So when do I leave?" Cyborg asked after he released Robin

"As soon as possible" Robin replied "I'm surprised Bumblebee hasn't called already to ask if you're ever coming"

"Okay" Cyborg nodded "I'll pack and leave tomorrow morning"

Robin nodded and made his way out of Cyborg's room.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Doo be do be do" hummed Aqualad as he read his book in the lounge room. It was a pretty good book; he was reading it because Raven had recommended it. It had an exciting plot, a little darker then he normally read, but really well written. He looked up and smiled as he heard someone come in the room, thinking it was Raven. His smile abruptly disappeared when he realized that it wasn't. It was Starfire.

"Friend Aqualad" she smiled a dazzling smile at him "How do you do today?"

"Fine thank you Star" he replied with a small sigh

Starfire however, picked up on the sigh and floated towards him.

"What is wrong?" she asked curiously

"Nothing" he replied shortly looking down at his book.

"Oh" said Starfire, looking sadly at him

He heard the sadness in her voice and looked up; his compassionate nature urged him to ask her what was wrong. He sighed inwardly; he didn't really want to strike up a conversation though.

"What's wrong?" He asked her

"I do not know" she said, sitting down beside him "I feel many different emotions but I do not know what to make of them"

"Emotions like what?" he asked curiously

"I do not know" she answered with a faraway look in her eyes "They are feelings that I can not identify"

"Oh" he said

"But I do believe I know why" she said looking straight at him

"Why?" he asked, his curiosity well and truly awoken.

"Because of you" she said simply

"Wha-What?" he said intelligently

She laughed "You do not need to pretend" she said, grinning at him.

"Pretend what?" he asked, unsure where this conversation was going

"You know" she said, gracefully flipping her hair over her shoulder

"What?" he stumbled, dropping his book in surprise. "You think I, what…, no!" he said quickly "I'm sorry but I don't feel—"his answer was cut short by a pair of lips that descended to meet his own. He tried to push her off him but she was strong. She pinned him down against the couch and kissed him overpoweringly. She smiled sweetly at him when she broke the kiss for air and when he tried to speak she swooped down and kissed him again. He was struggling against her hold, trying to break free before someone saw them. But it was too late. Raven was slumped on the door frame, watching their actions with utter disbelief on her face. He watched helplessly as her face twisted into a look of pain, grief and betrayal. He tried to cry out as he watched tears roll down her face but it was no use. She shot one last glance at him before she spun on her heel and raced out of the room.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven ran blindly out of the tower, tears streaming down her face, hair blowing wildly in the wind. She ran with no thought about where she was going, her only thoughts were on Aqualad, and his betrayal. When she reached the edge of the island she spoke her mantra and felt herself being lifted off the ground. Without further thought she flew over the water and headed to her one sanctuary, The Greenleaf café.

When she reached the café she walked quickly inside and sat down at the booth that was in the corner of the café, barely visible from the door. Tears were still streaming down her face as she buried her head in her hands and cried. She didn't know it but as she cried a freak thunderstorm hit Jump city. And even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. The one person, who she thought had loved her, had betrayed her. This brought back memories of Malchior. Memories she never wished to remember. As her thin frame was racked with uncontrollable sobs she wondered why. She wondered why she had allowed herself to believe that someone loved her. It was an unfathomable concept, something she had learned twice now. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and her head shot up.

"Sorry honey" said the owner of the café sadly "But we're closing up now"

Raven felt a compulsive desire to rip the lady's head off but simply nodded and made her way out of the café. She walked down the alleys, soaking wet and utterly miserable. Every step she took was labored with grief, pain, sadness and hatred. Hatred that was only for herself, for allowing herself to believe that she was loved. She walked until she could walk no more; she simply slumped against the brick wall, slowly sliding down until she was a small bundle and the foot of the wall. A bundle that shook every time a huge sob racked its frail body. And not only its body was frail, but it's mind too.

It was in this state that Red X found Raven. He was walking down an alley on his way to rob some rich guy's house, (he always took advantage of bad weather) when he stumbled upon a petite woman scrunched up into a ball. He looked carefully at the woman and realized that it was Raven, a Teen Titan. His common sense told him to leave her there, but he was no cold-hearted thief. He sighed and reached down, grabbing her arms and legs and hoisting her up, cradling her in his arms. He marveled at how light she was as he carried her back in the direction that he had come. As he walked he wondered why she was there, at the foot of a wall in downtown Jump city, in the middle of a storm. He sighed as he reached the apartment where he stayed and walked up the stairs. He teleported into the room since his hands were full. He walked into his bedroom and placed Raven in the bed, gently drawing back the covers and then placing them over her thin body when she was settled. After gently tucking her in, (these maternal instincts were coming from where?) he walked out and closed the door. He then made his way over to his couch, opting to stay in his Red X suit lest Raven wake up before him and collapsed on the couch. As he drifted off to sleep he hoped that he woke before Raven, otherwise things might get nasty.


	5. A Beautiful partnership

"Raven's missing" Aqualad informed Robin angrily

Robin's mask tilted up slightly to one side as he raised an eyebrow "Is that so?" he asked smoothly

"Yes" Aqualad replied, barely containing his obvious anger at Robin's almost indifferent reaction to this particular piece of news.

"And why is that?" Robin asked in the same calm tone

"It doesn't matter!" Aqualad shouted, reluctant to speak about why Raven ran off. "We just have to find her!"

"No we don't" said Robin, his calm composure hiding any emotions he may feel about her disappearance. "She'll come back"

"No" Aqualad shook his head "She won't, she has no reason to"

"Go on"

"She doesn't think that anyone cares for her. She thinks that no-one will miss her if she disappears so what reason is there to return?" said Aqualad quickly, he didn't want to waste valuable time, Raven could be anywhere.

Robin seemed to think this over before shaking his head firmly and replying "no"

"What?" Aqualad asked incredulously

"You heard me" said Robin coolly "I said no"

Aqualad narrowed his eyes "Fine then. If you don't care I'll find her on my own" he spun around and stormed out of the room, not waiting to see Robin's reaction to his defiance. Only a few thoughts were circulating around his mind as he left the tower, he had to find Raven and he had to figure out why Robin was acting like such a jerk.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven woke in completely unfamiliar surroundings. The bed was lumpy and uncomfortable, the walls were a nasty shade of beige, and the carpet stank of some unnamable substance. The first thought that crossed her mind was, _this is most definitely not my room, _and then, _way to go Captain obvious. _She sighed and tried to think of what had happened the night before. Her face crumpled and she felt tears slide down her face when she remembered what had transpired the night before. She remembered running away from the tower, from her memories. She remembered sliding down a solid wall and collapsing into a small bundle in the middle of a fierce storm. She remembered being lifted up and cradled in gentle arms. She realized that she must be in the home of her 'rescuer'. She jumped off the uncomfortable bed and headed towards the door, determined to find out who her rescuer was. When she opened the door she gasped as she came face to face with none other then the notorious villain Red X.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Red X woke slowly and gently patted his body to make sure that all his parts were there. After deeming himself to be in prime condition he concluded that Raven had not yet awoken. H shuddered, thinking about what she could have done had she woken before him. As he walked towards a tea machine his mind turned to thoughts of what he was going to do. Raven now knew where he lived, unless he took off his Red X uniform and changed into civilian clothes. But that was risky, if she realized who he was she would know his secret identity, he couldn't have that. Although there wasn't much to link him with his alias he knew that Raven would find a way, she was smart. Maybe he could leave right now and leave her to wake up and go in her own. No, she might nose around a bit. Perhaps he could pull on the "I saved your life you owe me" thing, she was a hero, and no doubt she would settle any debts. He sighed and part of him wished that he'd never come across her the night before. At that thought his mind wandered to possible reasons for _why _she was downtown last night anyway. It didn't make much sense. He thought that if he lived long enough and if she was in a good enough mood he would ask her. He heard her sound in the other room and decided to check it out hoping that he would live through this. Reaching the door he tentatively placed a hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He came face to face with a flustered looking sorceress. He stared at her in as much shock as she was staring at him. She was in shock because it was Red X who had just opened the door. He was in shock because there were tearstains on her pale cheeks. She spoke first.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still partly in shock

"Uh, last time I checked, I lived here" he replied testily

"But that would mean…" she trailed off as her brain put two and two together. "Oh"

He nodded slowly

"But why?" she asked curiously

"I'm not as cold-hearted as everyone thinks" he replied almost angrily "I don't kill and I don't leave people lying on the side of the road"

"Well excuse me" she replied, reacting to his anger "But I just don't see you as someone who stops and helps a little old lady across the street!"

"As if you've ever helped a little old lady across the street" Red X scoffed "That's not a big enough job for the mighty Titans! Oh no, the Titans can't concern themselves with minor problems!"

"Well excuse us for trying to protect this city from being destroyed by maniacs like Slade!" she replied indignantly

"Oh yes" said Red X sarcastically "You protect this city with people who could easily destroy it if they have a temper tantrum!"

He got a shock when he saw Raven's angry face disappear and tears shimmer in her eyes and realized that he had struck a nerve.

"I'm sorry?" he offered

"It's not you" she replied sadly "But I wish it had been" she sighed "Everything would be much easier to deal with then"

"Why?" Red X joked "Because it would be easy to simply toss me in jail and be done with it?"

"Exactly" said Raven, half-smiling despite her predicament

He nodded, understanding. Well, almost, he didn't actually know what she was really talking about.

"You wanna talk about it?" he offered despite his conscience yelling that it was not a good thing to say.

She looked a bit apprehensive at talking to a villain but seemed to come to a decision fairly quickly.

"Yes" she said softly, surprising herself and Red X

"Well okay" he said sitting down on the couch and motioning for her to do the same. "What's the problem?"

She sighed and told him everything that had happened from the incident with Slade, to her teammates pointedly ignoring her, her relationship with Aqualad and her reason for leaving the tower. All through this short recollection of events she struggled to maintain her composure. She could feel her eyes brimming with tears and her heart aching with sadness. She desperately needed someone to comfort her. Red X sat through the whole thing, finding that he pitied Raven. She had so much to deal with everyday. He felt an odd overwhelming need to comfort her in any way he could. It was a fierce sort of protectiveness that he had only felt towards his long deceased brother. He sensed her need for comfort and tentatively reached out and wrapped his arms around her thin form, drawing her closer so her head was buried in his chest, her sobs muffled by his uniform. As he did so he prayed that she wouldn't send him flying across the room or decapitate him with some sharp object, he relaxed when she appeared to make no protest. Raven had stiffened when he had wrapped his arms around her but her overwhelming need for comfort stifled her dislike of most human contact that she had not initiated. She simply lay limply in his arms, taking some comfort from this intimate gesture. She briefly wondered why he had sought to soothe her before storing away at the back of her mind and simply enjoying the consoling embrace. After awhile she pulled away and her eyes seemed to ask why he had helped her. He sighed.

"I'm not cold-hearted" he said slowly "I only steal because I hate business men and people who have so much but give so little." He explained "I steal things that they need to succeed simply so that they can get a small taste of what some people go through. The rest of the time I steal only what I and others need."

She looked at him in new light. He was really some kind of Robin Hood. She supposed that wasn't all bad. She reprimanded herself for thinking such thoughts before questioning why she reprimanded herself. What was the point? He may not be helping people the legal way but his only intention was to help people. Besides, it wasn't like she had any reason to turn him in. She suddenly had an idea; she had no-one left for her, what if she joined him? He was helping people. She voiced her thoughts out loud.

"What would you say if I said that I'd like to join you?"

He laughed "Before our conversation I would have thought you crazy but now I think it's a perfectly reasonable option. I mean, it's not like you want to go back to the tower or anything. You still want to help people and" he grinned "I can steal things so much easier with you around"

She cracked a half-smile at his joke. "Thanks" she said

"There's only one thing" he said, winking

"What?" she asked curiously

"You're going to need a new alias and costume; otherwise the Titans will recognize you"

"Right" she said, nodding "Any ideas?"

"Hmmmm" he thought about it "Nope"

This time she did smile "Well I'll have to think of one then"

"Yes" he said "and I think you should only use your powers when we're stealing things, not when we're fighting."

She nodded, understanding. Her powers were too recognizable.

He smiled at her and said an agonizingly corny line.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful partnership"

(A/N. Okay, I don't have any ideas about what to make Raven's new alias so if you have an idea please tell me! I'll be sure to mention in the next chapter whoever's alias I choose.)


	6. A new villain

A/N. Sorry about the long wait, I was so busy that I couldn't seem to find the time to write. By the way, Raven's new alias is credited to……. (Person will be mentioned at the bottom, I'm not quite ready to give away her alias just yet…..)

Aqualad was a mess. His normally neat black hair was disheveled and dirty. His eyes were surrounded by a rim of black due to many sleepless nights. His uniform was torn and its normal blue hue was tainted with dirt and the many stains which littered its surface. His face was unusually pallid and he looked incredibly unhealthy due to lack of water. Other then drinking he had not touched water for weeks. He ate barely one meal a week and had lost an incredible amount of weight and muscle tone. He was weak and fatigued most of the time due to almost no food. He had been in this state for almost two weeks now and no-one seemed to care. At first Starfire had been worried but after Aqualad had told her that he didn't care for her that way she had commenced pretending that he didn't exist. Robin always remained indifferent and cold; especially when Aqualad begged him to help search for Raven. Aqualad had thought that Cyborg at least would care but he was sadly disappointed. When Aqualad rang him on his communicator Cyborg told him that if Robin would not search then he would not. After hearing this Aqualad had desperately gone to Beast Boy as a last resort but it seemed that Robin had also brainwashed the green changeling. Aqualad's own team had held practically the same reactions; cold, indifferent, uncaring. Aqualad had been shocked but he had not stopped searching for Raven. He only stopped when he fainted from lack of food and when he woke he would rush off looking for her again only to crumple helplessly to the floor, unconscious. He had finally resorted to eating at least two meals a day when he realized that he was getting no-where in his current state. He had not however come to the realization that he needed some sleep, and a shower. If the other Titans were concerned at his condition they showed no sign of it. It seemed that by caring about Raven he had been forsaken by the members of the Teen Titans. It was a month after Raven's disappearance that the Titans computer registered a new villain.

BEEP BEEP

The Titans communicators rang and they all rushed too the control room with the exception of Aqualad who was slumped unconscious, on the floor of the kitchen.

"It's Red-X" said Robin grimly "and someone else"

All three of the remaining Titans leapt into the T-car and drove off to where the alert signal was coming from.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Red-X slowly lowered the tiny door of a ventilation shaft soundlessly and placed it on the ground. He smiled slightly as he squeezed himself into the shaft and crawled forward. He heard a soft noise as Raven entered the shaft and crawled along behind him.

"You know" she whispered softly "We could just teleport in"

"I know" Red-X grinned "But this is so much fun!"

She grumbled softly and Red-X laughed softly as he nimbly leapt out of the shaft and landed silently on the floor below. He heard no sound as Raven used her powers to lower herself to the floor.

"Now" said Red-X softly "I'm just going to locate the infa-red beams so that you can avoid them"

Raven nodded silently and waited.

"Okay" said Red-X after a few minutes "The beams are crisscrossing the room but you should be able to avoid them if you keep low across the ground to the left. Raven nodded and her hands filled with dark power. She focused her energy on a small object on the other side of the room and lifted it slowly. The small object skimmed along the ground to the left side of the room. Raven safely navigated it through the beams and before long the object was nestled in her hands.

"So why do we want this?" she asked Red-X as she examined the object

"That contains all the information on a top secret project that this company is working on" he informed her with a devilish smile.

"Right" Raven said "Now what?"

"Now" Red-X said fiendishly "You teleport that back to my apartment and then we set off the alarm and wait for the Titans to arrive"

She chuckled quietly and teleported the object watching with a small smile as Red-X delicately shuffled towards a beam and experimentally reached for it with his boot. She laughed outright as a mock comical-surprise look flitted across his face as an ear-piercing alarm reverberated around the room.

He smiled "And now we wait!"

She nodded, knowing that the Titans would be on their way to intercept them. After a minute or so the two partners in crime heard a loud bang and the once smooth door flew several feet across the door with a massive indent situated directly in the middle of its metal surface. The Titans, minus Raven, Cyborg and Aqualad ran in and spotted Red-X almost immediately.

"Red-X" said Robin coldly "How did I know that I would find you here?"

Red-X simply glared at him as Raven stepped out of the shadows and addressed Robin.

"You know it's rude to ignore people?" she said coldly her tone saturated with un-Raven like emotion. Red-X and Raven had decided that she had better drop her monotone as it made her more recognizable.

"I see you've found yourself a girlfriend Red-X" said Robin, unfazed.

"So what if I have?" Red-X asked coolly. This was the cover story that Raven and Red-X had agreed on. She would masquerade as his girlfriend. The Titans all turned to 'Raven', sizing her up. She looked nothing like her former self. She wore neither leotard nor cape. Her new uniform consisted of a body suit similar to Red-X's. Her suit was black and the only colour was visible on the mask. Where Red-X's mask was red, hers was pink. She did not, however have an X on her mask but a simple light pink stripe that stretched from the top of the left side of her forehead, down past her eye and ended near her chin. This, and the fact that she had a slender hourglass shape were the only visible differences between her and Red-X.

"TITANS GO" Robin yelled as he initiated the attack. He ran towards Red-X and engaged in a close combat fight with him. They both traded well thought out blows and neither gained any advantage over the other. Starfire and Beast Boy faced the unknown threat. They had no idea what the new villain was capable of. They advanced towards her, Starfire flung her green starbolts at the lithe figure but Raven merely dodged these with amazing speed and agility. Beast Boy changed into a cheetah and raced towards her. When he reached her he transformed into a bear and swiped at her with his claws. She dodged his blows and countered with an upper-cut, which knocked him to the ground. She ducked as Starfire let loose another barrage of Starbolts before flinging a small object at Starfire. Starfire attempted to dodge the object but was too slow and as it hit her on the arm a net shot out and she fell to the floor, incapacitated. Meanwhile, Beast Boy had snuck up on Raven and grabbed her from behind lifting her off the ground with his massive paws. She struggled for a bit before managing to press a hand to her hips where a hidden teleportation device was located. She disappeared from his grasp and reappeared behind him and knocking him over with a swift kick to the back. She lent down near his face and delivered a small punch to the side of his head, knocking him out. After checking that Starfire was still incapacitated she found Red-X and prepared to help him fight Robin. Robin and Red-X were still matching blow for blow, neither showing any sign of weakening. As they struck out at each other with perfect skill they also struck out wit verbal barbs, getting under each other's skin as always. Raven decided to simply watch the battle and help out only if needed. She watched as they both moved in perfect synchronization. One attacking, the other blocking. Robin would aim a punch at Red-X's face; Red-X would duck and swing his leg around. Robin would jump out of the way and kick out at Red-X. Red-X would then reach for Robin's leg which Robin would pull away quickly and aim another punch at Red-X who would block it and counter with a punch of his own. Raven watched this for almost half and hour before she saw Robin's patience disappear. His movements became more erratic and less thought out as he desperately tried to end the duel. The fight eventually came to an end as Red-X whacked Robin around the side of the head, causing him to fall unconscious. Red-X looked up at Raven and smiled.

"Well that was fun" he said cheerfully

Raven smiled and shook her head. She reached into a small black pouch and gently pulled out a single pink flower. She laid the flower on Robin's unconscious chest and teleported herself and Red-X back to his apartment.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N. The name, which has yet to be divulged, is credited to Random-Crazyness, thank you for your great idea. Thank you also to everyone who offered their ideas for Raven's new alias, they were all good ideas but I felt that Random-Crazyness's idea was fitting.


	7. Live in the moment

"Arrrrrrrgh" Robin yelled as he violently punched the desk that he was working on. Ever since he had woken from consciousness and found that small pink flower lying on his chest he had been obsessed with unraveling the mystery that surrounded Red X's new partner. The only clues he had were the long pink stripe on her mask and the small pink flower he had in his hand. He knew she was female due to the shape of her body and the sound of her voice. He didn't know why but her voice was somewhat familiar, like he'd heard it before. After he had checked to see of the other Titans were okay he had immediately taken the flower back to the Titans tower and had taken it into the small lab that was situated on the fourth floor. He ran many tests on it and only found out a few things. The small pink flower that had been placed on his chest was a Damask flower. They were only found in one area of Jump City, a small botanical garden in the northwest. The botanical garden, Gardenia's garden imported flowers from all over the world for its foreign display.

The Damask flower was native to South Africa and could not be imported from anywhere else. Robin stared at the new hole in his desk as he contemplated his next move. He could contact Gardenia's garden and ask if they had had any break-ins lately. Or he could check the trading companies for any small un-authorized imports of foreign flowers. Or he could simply set a trap for Red X and Damask, (as he decided to call her…) capture them and then find out everything he wanted to know. This however, was not an easy task. He had tried many times before to successfully set a trap for Red X and actually capture him. Red X's new partner could make everything harder.

"Or easier….." he mused thoughtfully

What if they set the trap and then when Red X and Damask arrived they focused all their energy on Damask, captured her and then threatened Red X with her life? It was a little unorthodox but it seemed to work for the villains. If Red X cared for her then he would surrender and Robin could find out both their identities and then send them both to many years in prison.

He grinned sardonically; finally he had the key to defeating Red X!

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So why exactly did you want to steal this thing?" Raven asked curiously as she turned their stolen object over in her hands.

"I didn't really" Red X replied with a cheeky grin "I just knew it would catch bird-boy's attention, and you needed to make your debut as my infuriating counterpart"

Raven smiled as she thought of what Robin must be doing at this very minute. He would probably be losing hair over the small flower she had placed on his chest. He would keep trying to solve the 'riddle' because everything was a clue that could unravel a mystery. She wondered how much he would discover, probably a lot. He would most likely know what her new alias was; it wasn't too hard since she took the name of the flower that she had placed on his chest. He probably knew that it was native to South Africa and he probably knew that the only place in Jump City that you can find these flowers was Gardenia's garden. She also knew what he would probably do next. He would most likely ring Gardenia to see if she had had any break-ins lately. If that yielded no results, and it would, he would then hack into the files of the trading companies and look for any small imports of foreign articles. When that didn't work, which it wouldn't as Raven was extremely careful to cover her tracks, He would probably set a trap for them and attempt to find out answers that way. She sighed, it was sad that she knew Robin so well, that she could predict his moves. It was even sadder that despite the fact that she knew him so well, she could never have predicted his reaction to the Slade incident. She never would have thought that he would ignore and avoid her, even when Aqualad had helped her with her emotions. He was different; he had grown colder and more ruthless. Jump City's boy wonder, the amazing boy who could do nothing wrong was slowly ebbing away to be replaced by Robin, the cold ruthless hero and he was bringing the other Titans with him.

She sighed again at the irony of it all. The one person she thought she could trust was now out to get her and the one person she thought she could never trust was the only one who truly cared about her. It was not a romantic type of caring though. In fact they were almost like siblings. They shared all sorts of secrets because they both felt that they could trust the other no matter what. They were both in the same proverbial boat and were helping each other to prevent it from sinking.

"What's wrong?" Red X asked, noticing her sigh.

"I was just thinking" she replied softly "Of what Robin will do next"

Red X raised an eyebrow, he was not convinced.

"Well, that was until I started thinking about how my friends all betrayed me and my enemy became my friend and how everything is saturated in irony. It's like there is someone up there who enjoys setting this kind of pain and conflict in someone's life." she conceded

Red X looked sadly at her. "Don't dwell on the past" he said gently "Or the future. Think only of the moments that you are living at this very minute. I live every day like it might be my last and who knows? One day wonder boy might actually catch me and stick me in jail. But that doesn't matter right now, nothing in the future nor the past matters. Because I live in the moment, I enjoy the thrills of my heists and think nothing of being captured because at that moment, it doesn't matter." He paused for a bit "I had a horrible childhood" he continued "My parents would mostly ignore myself and my brother. That is unless they were bored and they wanted some 'fun'. Their 'fun' however was not so fun for us. I don't want to go into details but basically they abused us. When I was ten I woke to find them dead, lying on the floor of the kitchen, their faces almost unrecognizable due to the many lacerations that were littered upon them. I went and woke my brother but I did not let him into the kitchen, I did not want my brother to have to see such things. My brother and I gathered everything we could from the house and left, we could not stay in the house that our 'parents' were murdered in, it held too many memories of when they were alive. From that say on, I became a thief. I had to steal food and clothes for myself and my brother. I found that I had a natural talent for sneaking around, it must have been the years of sneaking around my house, desperately trying to avoid being seen and abused. I refused to let my brother become a thief though. I reasoned that one of us becoming a criminal was enough. We moved a lot and never stayed in one place for more then a week. I became bolder and stole more then just clothes and food but small things for my brother to play with. I loved him more then I had ever loved anyone else. He was my younger brother and I loved him dearly. It was a massive jolt to my heart when I came back from one successful heist to find my brother lying facedown on the ground. I turned him over and found a small knife embedded in his heart. He was dead. I was anguished and I spent many weeks in a dark stupor, unable to imagine living my life without him. A girl around my age found me one day. She ran off and told her mother who came and brought me into their house. They fed me, washed me and gave me some clothes to wear. They were not rich or well-off but they helped me anyway. They especially helped me to move on after my brother's death. I stayed with them for a few weeks before I felt that I had to leave. I couldn't live off this family any longer; they were poor enough as it was. So I said goodbye and left, but not before I stole a beautiful basket filled with fresh fruit and placed it at their door. After that day I decided to forget the past and ignore the future, I would live everyday like it was my last. I would indulge in the beauties of the world and I would steal not only for myself but for others." He looked her in the eye. "I know you have suffered much but you must put it all behind you. You will find that you can truly be happy if you do".

She smiled at him and was in amazed at how he had survived through all those terrible events in his life with a happy smile and a generous nature.

"Raven" he said softly "You are like my sister, I care deeply about you and I can't stand to see you so unhappy. Please try to forget the past and focus on the present. Focus on what you have now"

She smiled again as she thought of what she had now, a brother.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Aqualad woke slowly from unconsciousness. He groaned as he felt a massive headache. He opened his eyes and sat up, supporting himself with his arms. His vision swam as he began to move and settled after a few minutes. He felt awful. He decided right then and there that he would find Raven much easier if he stopped neglecting himself. He couldn't afford to collapse so many times. He stood up slowly and dragged himself over to the fridge where he grabbed a random piece of fruit and began to eat it. After he had eaten three apples, two bananas and a bunch of grapes he felt satisfied. He then went into his allocated room and took a long shower. When he finished he changed into a clean uniform and went off to look for Robin. He found him in a workroom, going over a plan to do something. Aqualad cleared his throat and Robin's head snapped towards him.

"What?"

"Have you found anything about Raven?" Aqualad asked, knowing that he probably hadn't.

"No" Robin snapped "I told you that no-one is looking for her!"

"What is your problem?" Aqualad asked stonily "She was a valuable member of your team and an irreplaceable friend"

"She was a danger to all around her" Robin snarled "A liability that cost the Titans much suspicion from Jump City"

"But she won them over" Aqualad reminded him

"Yeah" Robin agreed nastily "Right before she almost destroys the entire city"

"That was accident" Aqualad coldly informed Robin

"Right" Robin snapped "You try telling that to the citizens of Jump!"

"What?" Aqualad answered sarcastically "Like you did?"

"I didn't bother because I knew they wouldn't accept it" Robin defended himself.

"You just didn't bother!" Aqualad informed him "You simply refused to deal with the problem"

"And it had the desired effect" Robin said nastily "She left didn't she?"

Aqualad's mouth opened and shut in disbelief. He gave Robin a long hard stare before he closed his mouth with an audible snap and spun on his heel and left the room.


	8. Unmasked

"Perfect" Robin's grin resembled that of a malicious cat who had just guaranteed himself that he would have the canary for breakfast. "Red-X and his thieving partner won't be able to resist this little beauty" he patted a large artifact that was nestled in a bed of velvet. The ankh was a very special jewel that had been recovered from an ancient Inca civilization; it was a historical artifact of extreme caliber. If this ankh were to suddenly disappear it would cause havoc. Robin gently placed a bullet-proof glass covering over the ankh and bolted it to the table that the ankh was on. The bolts were made of pure steel with bands of diamond and were almost unbreakable. He stepped back and viewed the casing, nodding when everything seemed to be in order. He turned to a large burly man that was standing behind him and ordered him and his partner to stand guard outside the doors of the safe that Robin was standing in. The large safe was built for the purpose of keeping the ankh in a safe, hidden environment but Robin had no doubts that Red-X already knew where it was and how to get in. The guards would be knocked unconscious and when Red-X and Damask walked through the door of the safe, Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy would be ready for them. He grinned again and went through a concealed door on the opposite end of the safe. The room contained a one-way mirror which allowed Robin and the Titans to see what was happening in the safe. When Robin saw Red-X and Damask enter the safe he would push a button which would drop a large steel cage on top of them. The cage was created to thwart teleportation devices so Red-X could not escape. Robin grinned nastily; the plan was fool-proof. Tonight he would finally have Red-X behind bars, once and for all.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Look at this" Red-X said, pointing to a photograph he held in his hands.

"Hmmm?" Raven mumbled absentmindedly as she lent over his shoulder to see what he was pointing at.

"It's an ankh" Red-X explained "It was uncovered at an old Inca civilization in Brazil and it is a very important artifact." He winked suggestively at her.

"You want to steal it" she accused him, a smile on her face.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Uh huh" she informed him

"It's an important artifact" he defended himself "It will cause chaos and havoc if we steal it"

"Well okay" Raven conceded "But I'm worried that it might be a trap"

Red-X turned around to look at her.

"A trap?" he echoed her words and then laughed "A trap! Bird Boy thinks he'll catch me with a trap! Oh that's rich!" he fell off the couch he was laughing so hard.

"And what exactly is so funny?" Raven asked, mildly annoyed.

"Since when have Bird Boy's traps worked anyway?" Red-X asked between laughs, ignoring Raven's question.

"Never" Raven said, laughing as she remembered Red-X's suits origins. Robin had tried to catch Slade by pretending to be a villain. Robin had created a suit that was designed to foil all the Titans. After his plan had failed because Slade had been two steps ahead of him, Robin had locked the suit away in the evidence room. Shortly after, a thief had breached the Titans security and made off with the suit. Shortly after this a new villain appeared, his alias was Red-X.

"Exactly" Red-X said, still laughing.

"Still' Raven said seriously "He is actually capable of learning you know"

"No way!" Red-X breathed in mock surprise before bursting into laughter again.

"It's not actually that funny" Raven commented from her perch on the arm of the chair.

Red-X picked himself up from the floor and slung an arm around Raven's shoulders.

"Trap or no" he drawled "We're going to the museum tonight"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What's this?" Aqualad asked himself as he scrutinized a small pink flower that was sitting near a rather large hole in Robin's desk. He picked it up and twirled it with his fingers, there was something about this flower that rung a bell. His gaze fell on the notes that Robin had taken, they told the origin of the flower in his hand which he read was a Damask flower. He realized that the flower must have something to do with the new villain Robin was obsessing about. Strange that a new villain appears after Raven disappears he thought absentmindedly. Must be some trick of the Gods, unless……..His eyes narrowed, no, it couldn't be. He shook his head fervently, that couldn't be it. As much as he wanted to refute it however he couldn't deny the feeling he had. His heart told him that it was truth. He realized with a shock that Robin must be springing the trap right now. _Oh God_, he thought helplessly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ready?" Red-X mouthed in Raven's direction.

She nodded and they both flipped their masks on before they leapt down beside the two guards, landing silently. As the guards stared at them in shock they simultaneously rendered them unconscious placing hands over the guard's mouths as they did so. They lowered the guards gently onto the ground before walking towards the safe. Red-X stared at the safe's door for a minute before turning towards Raven.

"How about we take the back door?" he joked "Give Bird Boy a bit of a surprise"

She shrugged nonchalantly "What ever works"

"The back door it is then"

They both crept towards the left wall where a small air vent was located. Red-X pulled out a screwdriver and niftily unscrewed the bolts holding the vent in place and placed it on the ground.

Raven shook her head "You know there is an easier way" she said as her hands glowed black.

"Yeah, Yeah" Red-X said lazily "But this is so much more fun!"

Raven shook her head and crawled along the shaft after him.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Be ready" Robin whispered to Beast Boy and Starfire. He outlined the plan for the fiftieth time that evening before focusing on the safe.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Alright" Red-X whispered "We are now directly above the middle of the safe."

"How about we go a little further towards the end of the room" Raven suggested, "I have a feeling that we should"

"Okay" Red-X shrugged. They crawled and when they reached their chosen destination Red-X turned around and looked at Raven.

"Show time"

She nodded and her hands glowed with dark energy. They energy grew until it encases herself and Red-X. She then phased them through the floor. She nearly gasped in surprise when she set herself and Red-X down and realized where they were. They were standing directly behind Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy in the observation room. She lent back against the wall and waited for Red-X to make his move. He stood silently for a few more minutes before he decided to break the silence.

"So" he said lazily "Who are we waiting for?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Three heads snapped around to face them, identical looks of shock on their faces. Robin was the first to shake himself out of the stupor. A look of fury crossed his face at his failed plan.

"Still think he's capable of learning?" Red-X asked Raven casually.

She shrugged in reply.

"Titans Go!" Robin yelled and launched himself at Red-X. The remaining two Titans turned to face Raven.

"So we meet again" she said as she prepared to attack.

Starfire said nothing and hurled several starbolts at Raven. Raven dodged all but one with ease. She pulled out a mirror and deflected the last one, sending it towards Starfire. Starfire was too shocked to do anything and was hit by the Starbolt. She faltered but didn't fall over. Raven dived out of the way as a green rhinoceros smashed into the wall seconds after she had vacated the spot. She landed with a thud, jumping up quickly as the rhino changed direction and headed for her. She leapt over rhino's head and landed on its back. She jumped off as the Rhino changed into an elephant and its truck reached around to try and grab her. She was so preoccupied that she failed to notice the starbolt that was headed towards her. The starbolt hit her and sent her flying into the wall. She hit the wall with her back and gasped as pain shot up her spine. She gingerly got up only to fall to the ground again as her back gave a loud groan of protest. She hit her head on the floor with a sickening crack and watched as everything seemed to move in slow motion as small tendrils of black wormed their way through her vision. Her head lolled to the side as she fell into unconsciousness.

Red-X saw her fall in shock and doubled his fighting efforts. He had to defeat Robin and get to Raven before the Titans removed her mask.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Robin grimaced as Red-X's fighting intensified. This was the climax of the battle; someone would make a mistake that would determine the winner. His grimace changed to a grin as he saw that Red-X was momentarily distracted. With an unearthly cry Robin dispatched a series of frantic punches and to his great surprise; every single one met its mark.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

At first Red-X didn't notice the tremor that shook his body when Robin's punches made contact but after the first five he realized that he had made a dangerous mistake. He had let himself get distracted, all because he had seen Beast Boy crouch down beside Raven's still form. Red-X was pushed backwards with the ferocity of Robin's attack and he found himself in a daze, unable to counter or block. As Robin's fist connected with his temple a single stray thought crossed Red-X's mind, _well, can't say this is how I imagined myself getting captured. _

Robin watched in grim satisfaction as Red-X fell to the ground in unconsciousness. He crouched down beside him and lifted a single hand, placing it on Red-X's mask. He grabbed the edge of the mask and pulled it off, revealing the face of his long time enemy. His gaze fell upon a sharp chiseled face with sandy-blonde hair. The man looked to be in his early twenties. Robin stared at the face for a few minutes, committing it to memory. He then motioned for Best Boy to come over.

"Take the suit off and tie him up" Robin instructed the green changeling.

Beast Boy nodded and went to do as Robin had told him. Robin got up and went over to the unconscious form of Damask. Her mask was still in place. Robin crouched beside her and removed her mask. He gasped in shock when he saw who the mask had concealed, it was Raven.


	9. Behind bars

"Rob, man, Aqualad wants to talk to you"

"Does he…" Robin mused "Well, okay, send him in"

Cyborg nodded and walked out. A few minutes later, Aqualad walked in

"I want to see Raven…" he began

"No" Robin interrupted "There is no way that I will allow anyone to enter her cell"

"Then just let me talk to her!" Aqualad pleaded

"No" Robin replied resolutely "She is a dangerous criminal and will most likely destroy you before you can say a word"

"Don't you have magic dispelling wards on her cell?" Aqualad asked suspiciously

"Yes, but it doesn't prevent her magic from escaping, it only prevents her from going with it. She will destroy you" Robin replied calmly

"No she won't" Aqualad replied "I know her"

"No" Robin shook his head "She is not the person she used to be!"

"Neither are you!" Aqualad retorted as he stormed off

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Red X slowly opened one eye in order to gain visual of his surroundings. As his memory returned he winced slightly, _oh this is an interesting mess I've gotten myself into _he thought ruefully. He opened his other eye and sat up; he then looked around and concluded that he was in a cell. A normal, everyday, jail cell.

"Great" he said sarcastically "I've always wanted to see the inside of this place"

"Talking to yourself are you?" a voice asked from outside Red X's cell.

Red X shrugged nonchalantly "I've always thought that I make the best company"

The guard laughed "You're an interesting thief" he said "Every jail in the business wanted to get their hands on you and when one finally does you sit calmly in your cell, talking to yourself"

Red X shrugged again "Like I said, I've always wanted to see the inside of this place"

The guard shook his head in disbelief at the thief's calm manner. "You're a nutcase" he said finally.

Red X winked "So I've been told"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven woke as a massive headache engulfed her, sending her newly awoken consciousness reeling.

"Arrgh" she groaned as she sat up, wearily supporting her body with her hands. As the headache temporarily settled down she turned her thoughts to other matters. Her first instinct was to check if her mask was on. She reached one hand slowly up and brushed it across her face. She wasn't to surprised to find that it was gone.

"Oh no" she whispered, her thoughts turned immediately to Red X. Was he captured?

_Most likely _she thought glumly. Raven slowly dragged herself to her feet and prepared to use her magic to phase through the wall. She knew that it was futile, Robin was not an idiot, and he would have found a way to prevent her from phasing out. Still, he did make mistakes, however few. She sighed and started the spell, she grimaced as she found that she could not phase through the wall.

_Just my luck _she though wryly

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Alright" Aqualad said resolutely as he stood outside the jail, "If Robin won't let me talk to Raven then I guess I'll have to let myself in…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N. Sorry that this chapter has been a long time in coming, and that it's kinda short.


	10. Jail break!

"There's not much to do in this place." Red X remarked absentmindedly as he slouched against the light-grey walls of his solitary jail cell.

The guard eye-balled him sternly "This isn't a hotel buddy, it's a holding cell for the criminally insane."

"Why thank you!" Red X bowed gracefully "I had no idea you held me in such high esteem."

The guard snorted and resumed staring at the opposite wall.

"So what's your name?" Red X asked conversationally.

The guard rolled his eyes "You still think I'm going to answer that question even though it's the _tenth _time you've asked it?"

Red X shrugged, "I persevere."

"Right…well stop it." The guard muttered grumpily.

"Yes sir!" Red X answered sarcastically "Would you like me hop on one foot while I'm at it?"

"If it would shut you up, then yes!" the guard replied irritably.

"You'd like that wouldn't you." Red X smiled impudently.

"Is it that obvious?"

BANG

"What was that?" the guard asked rhetorically.

"How would I know?" Red X answered anyway "I haven't left the cell."

The guard spared Red X one irritated glance before hurrying out of the room to see what had caused the loud noise. As soon as the guard was out of the room Red X jumped up and began a thorough investigation of the cell, he wasn't a master thief for nothing. After five minutes of sold searching, prying and prodding he concluded that he wasn't getting out of this cell anytime soon.

'_Damn' _he thought as he slid down the wall.

CRASH

He jumped up as a sodden door flew past his cell.

"What the…!" he stopped in mid-sentence as he recognized the familiar yet not usually friendly sight of Aqualad. Aqualad smiled brightly at him as he opened the cell with a key he had no doubt removed from Red X's talkative guard.

"Why hello," said Red X as he strolled out through the now open door, "Fancy meeting you here!"

Aqualad smiled slightly "Do you know where she is?"

Red X nodded "Come on."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Raven sat mutely in the middle of her cell. She was surrounded by white. White walls, floors, roof, chairs, everything was white and she loathed it.

"Why white?" she asked the ceiling.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So why'd you rescue me?" Red X asked curiously as he led Aqualad towards Raven's cell.

"Because you know where Raven is." Aqualad answered.

"Why do you want to rescue Raven?"

"Because I love her."

"But I thought you were the reason she left the Teen Titans."

"I was."

"So why…" Red X began

"Do you mind?" Aqualad said grumpily "What are you, a reporter?"

"No, just curious."

Aqualad sighed, "She saw Starfire kissing me and got the wrong idea."

Red X looked confused "What other idea can you get?"

"Well I wasn't kissing Starfire," Aqualad retorted.

"But you just said…"

"I know what I said," Aqualad interrupted "It's just, I wasn't kissing her, she was kissing me."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes." Aqualad answered grumpily.

"And that would be…..?"

"I didn't want her to kiss me," Aqualad clarified "I just couldn't, well, stop her."

Red X nodded wisely "I see…super strength and all."

Aqualad nodded, "Raven left the tower before I could explain and well, Robin wouldn't initiate a search party." They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"How'd you come across her?" Aqualad questioned curiously.

"I found her; she was wet, cold, shivering and unconscious. I took her back to my apartment and we talked about everything that had befallen her. I told her about my past and why I was doing what I'm doing and she decided to join me." Red X gave away only the basic facts, he wasn't entirely sure he could trust Aqualad, even if he did break him out of jail.

"Here we are!" Red X announced cheerfully, successfully alerting the guards who had previously been playing a game of cards.

"You just couldn't help yourself could you?" Aqualad accused Red X irritably as he squared off against one of the guards. "You had to make a grand entrance!"

"Where's the fun in sneaking around?" Red X answered as he dodged an ill-aimed punch to his face.

"Oh yes," Aqualad agreed sarcastically as blocked a punch to his groin, "This is much more exciting."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Raven leapt to her feet as she heard the sound of fighting outside her opaque cell.

"Who's there?" she called, hoping it was Red X.

"It's just me darling," Red X drawled, dodging a guard's attempt to knock him over, "Oh and your fish buddy."

'_Fish buddy?' _Raven thought, confused.

"Gee thanks!" a sarcastic retort was heard above the loud crash of the fighting.

Raven gasped as she heard the unmistakable sound of Aqualad's voice.

"What are _you _doing here?" she questioned from inside her cell.

"Umm can we talk later?" Aqualad requested "I'm kinda trying to do several things at once here."

"Sorry," Raven replied "I must have missed that tiny detail, you know with this opaque wall and everything."

"Raven?" Red X called "How about giving us a little help here?"

"Sure!" came the sarcastic reply "Hang on a few seconds; I'll waltz right through the walls."

"It doesn't restrict your powers," Aqualad informed her "It only prevents you from phasing out."

"Right, but you'll have to direct me."

A large black hand appeared outside the cell and curled into a fist.

"Left." Aqualad yelled "That's it; a few more centimeters…GO!"

The hand slammed down, successfully squishing the second last guard.

"We're done here." Red X commented as he neatly dispatched the last guard with a swift punch that somehow left Red X with the key in his hand. Red X walked over to the door of the cell and opened it with the key, proclaiming his success with a loud, "Open Sesame!"

Raven walked calmly out of the door and straight up to Aqualad. His dark black eyes met her furious purple ones and he winced slightly as she brought her hand up and dealt him a painful slap to the cheek.

"You…..you!" Raven was to furious to finish her sentence.

Red X watched with an amused look on his face.

"I'm sorry," Aqualad's dark eyes stared unflinchingly into Raven's purple ones.

"You….you led me on! You let me believe that I was loved, and then you betrayed me!" Raven slapped him again.

"I never meant for that to happen!" Aqualad protested.

"What? Loving me? Or me finding out what a load of crap you fed me?"

"Raven I love you!" Aqualad gripped her upper arms.

Raven slapped him again, "Don't. You. Touch. Me."

"Raven," Red X interjected "I think you should let the man explain."

Raven gasped in surprise "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, but I really think you should at least let him tell you his version before you slap him again."

"Fine." Raven crossed her arms, "Let's hear it."

"One more thing." Red X interrupted before Aqualad could speak, "I think its best if you teleport us out of here before the back-up guards come."

Raven looked at Aqualad as if she was deciding whether to leave him behind or not when she heard the sound of the guards rushing towards them.

"Oh fine." She intoned her mantra and in a flash of black they were inside Red X's apartment. "Now speak."

"I never wanted to betray you," Aqualad began "And in truth, I didn't."

"What…you…!" Raven spluttered in disbelief.

Red X raised an eyebrow and she grumpily shut her mouth.

"I was reading a book in the TV room when Star came in and started up a conversation, she looked sad so I asked her what was wrong. She confessed that she was confused about some new feelings that she was, well, feeling. She then insinuated that she knew those feelings were for me and that she knew I had feelings for her. Which I didn't." he added as Raven raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I told her that she was mistaken but she wouldn't believe me. She forcefully kissed me and I couldn't push her off because she's so strong."

Raven looked like she didn't believe him.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Aqualad asked seriously.

"No." Raven replied.

"Then is it so hard to believe me now?"

Raven looked away, "It hurt so badly." She said sadly.

"I know," Aqualad moved closer and turned her face towards him, "But I would never hurt you."

Raven looked into his eyes and knew without a doubt that he was telling the truth. With this realization a smile broke out on her face.

"I didn't blow you up." She commented, "Throughout that entire conversation, I didn't even crack a window."

Aqualad smiled and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer to his body.

As she gazed into his eyes she was overwhelmed with an emotion she simply could not suppress…love.

"Right, so," a voice broke into her thoughts, "Now that we've resolved your little 'lovers spat', let's go!"

"Where?" Raven looked at Red X curiously.

"Why to the tower of course."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

A/N: And just what do you think Red X wants to do?


	11. He's back

"Alrighty." Red X rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he looked at the Titans Tower from his vantage point. "Raven?" He turned to one of his companions. "Get us in."

"Roger that." Raven joked as black energy surrounded them, transporting them into the Titans tower. "Now," Raven said mock sternly, "None of you set foot outside the black bubble or the tower will realize that we're in here and set off the alarm.

"Aqualad and Red X grinned playfully, "Yes mother." They chorused.

Raven shook her head and turned to Red X, "Where to first?"

"The control room."

"Okay." Raven said as she transported them into the room. "Now what?"

Red X just grinned and sat down, staring at the large screen of the Titans Tower's central computer system. "Good," he said, "They haven't discovered our escape." Red X grinned again and proceeded to type something into the computer.

"What are you doing?" Raven questioned curiously.

"Oh nothing really." Red X said nonchalantly, "I've only changed the security password and calibrated the sensors to accept only You, Aqua and I. So when the Titans leave to 'apprehend' us in a few hours they won't be able to get back in."

"Nice." Aqualad grinned, "But do you think you could reset the coordinates? Send them to a completely different place?"

"Sure." Red X shrugged, "No problem." After typing a few words into the computer Red X turned around, "Done." He announced with a flourish. "Now, off to the uhh…," he paused momentarily, "Ahh, the trophy room!"

…………………………………………………………………………...

"Okay." Red X said after Raven had teleported them to the trophy room. "Let's get my suit back!"

Aqualad shook his head, "I think you depend a little too much on that suit."

Red X looked straight at Aqualad, "Before this suit I was nothing more then a cat-burglar, a good one mind you, but a cat-burglar none-the-less. This suit turned me into a super thief; it made me the entity Red X." He sighed, taking the suit of the pedestal it was mounted on. "I really have to thank bird-boy one day."

"Raven laughed slightly, "You'd think he'd learn from his mistakes."

Aqualad looked at her, a confused look on his face.

"This has to be, what, the third time you've stolen the suit?" Raven asked Red X.

"Mmmm." Red X agreed a smile on his face. "After he got it back the first time he should have destroyed it, but no, he just placed back where I stole it from…he practically dared me to steal it again." He shrugged, slipping the suit on. "So I did."

"How'd Robin get it back the first time?" Aqualad asked curiously.

"Remember that time you and the Titans East joined up with the others?"

"Yeah."

"The reason Birdie called on you was 'cause I'd stolen a secret of incredible value and he needed it back at all costs. There was that whole battle thing and then I escaped out a side door, leaving you all behind, Robin managed to follow me. I got a bit cocky, see I could have easily gotten away by teleporting or even leaping out the window on to the roof. But I was determined to taunt Bird-boy and have a little fun so I stayed and we had a big fight, lots of verbal attacks, more so then actual ones. When someone, I'm not sure who, came rushing in I got distracted and Bird-boy knocked me onto the ground. He thought I was unconscious but he couldn't move me out, some police issue. So he detailed a policeman to watch me, and well the only way to get past everyone was to switch places. So after I'd stunned the policeman I donned his clothes and put him in my suit. I don't think they discovered my ploy until news came of another of my heists."

"Oh that's right." Aqualad said, grinning, "And in fact, Robin never realized that the man we 'captured' wasn't you for a couple of months. After he finally allowed Raven to go in and see if the man; who claimed that he was actually a police officer, was lying or not. It then took another month before Robin actually believed Raven when she said that he wasn't lying."

Red X chuckled, "It's ironic how a man so observant can miss things that are right in front of his nose."

"So." Raven said, "Are we finished yet? Or do you have more mischief planned?"

"Much more."

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

Robin woke to the reverberating sound of his alarm clock; telling him that was time to get up and embrace a new day. Grumbling all the way to closet Robin swept his hand across his eyes, brutally attempting to erase all signs that he'd been sleeping. He reached into the closet and blindly fumbled through the clothing before remembering that he slept in his uniform. Grumbling some more he closed the closet and walked towards his dressing table where the familiar tin of hair gel sat waiting for him. He sighed once before grabbing the tin, preparing himself to feel the cool, metallic feel of the container. But this time it was different. The container had a sticky feel to it. Robin opened his eyes wide and took in the appearance of the container.

'_Damn_'He swore under his breath before dropping the container and racing to the Titans computer.

………………………………………………………………………………………...

"BBBBRREEEEEEEEEEEP" The Titans Main Computer sent an ear-piercing screech through out the tower, warning every Titan that there was another villain on the loose. Robin, having set the alarm off was standing rigidly by the computer, waiting for his team-mates to arrive. The first to arrive was Cyborg who burst in, a torn cable hanging from his arm.

"What've we got here?" He asked himself as he promptly sat down at the computer and began typing. Shortly after Cyborg had arrived Starfire flew in, her normally sleek red hair mussed and tangled, cascading down her back in a multitude of different directions. The last to arrive was Beast Boy, who stumbled in, trying unsuccessfully to pull his uniform on and run at the same time.

"I've got coordinates." Cyborg announced, "But I can't see who the villain is."

"I _know _who the villain is." Robin said tightly, "Now let's go."

"Who is causing this disturbance?" Starfire asked as they ran towards the T-car.

"Red X."

A/N. Sorry for the shortness but I thought I'd better update sooner rather then later.


	12. Touche

"Where're we headed to?" Robin asked as the T-car sped off from the tower.

"About 30 km west from the jail we locked Red X in." Cyborg replied tersely.

"That's Slade's old…"

"Yes, it is." Cyborg interrupted.

"What in the blue blazes is he doing there?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"33546782….." The man recited as he punched the numbers into a public phone.

"Allen residence, how can I help you?"

"Wally? Is that you?" The man asked hurriedly.

"Yes, this is Wally, may I ask who's calling?"

"Wally, it's me Quick. I need to ask you a favour."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"So what next?" Raven asked Red X, as she watched the sun rise, her head on Aqualad's shoulder.

"When Bird-boy and the Titans get here we'll sneak back to the tower and lounge around while Cyborg follows the fake trail I've left him. That'll give us about four or five hours before he realizes and the Titans hurry back to the tower. Of course by then we'll have finished with our mischief and will get the see the Titans attempts at regaining the tower."

"Sounds good. Aqualad remarked. "But what if they manage to get inside?"

"Oh they will." Red X said slyly, "That's the point."

"You know they'll probably bring the Titans East with them." Raven said casually, "I hope you've planned for that."

"Oh come now," Red X mock-admonished. "You, Aqua and myself are more then a match for them all."

Raven raised one eyebrow, "Well that's cockiness if I ever saw it."

Red X shrugged, reached over and tweaked her nose. "It's called confidence."

"Not in the spades you possess it." Aqualad quipped. "I'm pretty sure they call that sheer stupidity."

"Touche." Red X grinned and stood, having sighted the T-car "And now the fun begins."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Damn." Cyborg cursed, slamming his hand down on the dashboard of the T-car. "The signal keeps jumping around; he's teleporting at a mile a minute."

"Is there _any _other way to track him?" Robin asked slowly.

"Yeah, but all will wield the same results." Cyborg answered grumpily, "And anyway, you know I equipped the T-car with the best."

"If only there was some other way…" Starfire trailed off wistfully.

"If only we had Raven…" Beast Boy ventured. He'd never really been against her, he'd just always been a bit of a sheep, always obeying Robin and following the crowd.

"Beast Boy." Robin warned, "There'll be none of that talk."

"I'm just saying what's true!" Beast Boy said in a sudden spurt of confidence. "Raven could find him in a second and even predict his next four or five movements!"

"Stop that now!" Robin commanded, "She betrayed us by leaving, allying herself with Red X and committing several crimes under the alias of Damask. She's nothing more then a villain."

"Do you forget so easily what she's done for us?" Beast Boy asked sadly, "The lives she's saved, the people she's helped?"

"She did nothing for the sake of the people." Robin growled, "She only did it to make up for what her father was going to do years later."

'No." Beast Boy shook his head, "She cared about them and she cared about us. Do you think she would have defeated her father if she didn't?"

"Despite what she may have done Beast Boy, the fact remains that she abandoned the Titans and joined forces with a known criminal, Red X."

"She abandoned no-one." Beast Boy remarked softly, "We abandoned her."

……………………………………………………………………………………….


End file.
